


Gifts of the Sea

by raiyana



Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alqualondë, First Meetings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-01-03
Packaged: 2019-02-27 23:43:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13259082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raiyana/pseuds/raiyana
Summary: Eärwen is diving for pearls when an unexpected visitor takes an unexpected dive...





	Gifts of the Sea

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Alystraea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alystraea/gifts).



Uinen’s hair, they called it, for the way it moved with the current; though it was green like leaves, reaching for the treelight shining gently above the waves. What she wanted, however, lay further down, requiring swimming through the hair of Uinen to find… _them!_

Eärwen reached, wresting the clam from the rocks it clung to and stuffing it into the sack at her waist. Setting off against the bottom, she shot towards the sky above, breaking the surface for a deep lungful of air. Atya was on the quay, strangers walking with him; Eärwen waved, diving back for more as soon as he spotted her gesture.

Beneath the waves was calm and silent; the maiwi’s screeches did not sound here, the green light that filtered through Uinen’s hair making her hair look green, too. Eärwen spotted a silver school of small fish darting away between the green strands, reaching for another clam and another. She wasn’t allowed to go to the cove alone, yet, and everyone had been too busy with the royal visit to accompany her, so she had to remain close to Alqualondë. Swimming beneath the water, she chanced looking up, seeing the face of a boy looking back at her. Surprised, Eärwen stopped to stare, the current catching in her hair and hiding the boy from view for a moment. Flicking the long strands out of her face, Eärwen was more surprised when they boy came tumbling down, his arms and legs moving uselessly as he gasped for breath. Pushing off against the bottom again, she dropped her clam without thought, reaching for the boy who was sinking swiftly. Dragging him upwards, Eärwen tried to still his struggling limbs, tried to soothe him with osanwe, but the boy did not seem to listen.

 _Be calm_ , she whispered, holding him close as they broke the surface. The boy stopped struggling, lying weakly in her arms as he gasped for air. Eärwen remained even in the surf with little effort, studying the pale-haired lad. He was older than she had first thought, his wet hair a dull gold that would shine with lustre when dry, his arms and legs wrapped tightly around her body; Eärwen wondered why he had jumped in when he clearly did not know how to swim. Raising her eyes from his face, she looked first for Olwe, but saw instead a pair of the wild swans that had chosen this pier for a nest, which was why it was off-limits to anyone not wishing to incur their wrath. The male was glaring angrily at her new friend – the young ner was a friend, she felt, laughing brightly – but a touch of her fëa calmed him enough to return to his mate.

“You saved me,” the golden-haired lad coughed, his voice scratchy with the saltwater he’d swallowed. Eärwen chuckled.

“Hold on; this pier is the Swans’,” she said, turning onto her back and striking off for a different quay with a few strong kicks. The boy clung to her like a limpet, not letting go until they reached the stone steps that led out of the water.

“My name is Arafinwe,” he coughed, climbing up the steps to collapse onto his back, staring up at the sky.

“I am Eärwen Alquien,” Eärwen replied, bowing politely, “daughter of Olwe.” His smile was nice, she thought, smiling back involuntarily.

“Thank you, Eärwen.”

 


End file.
